How Far Will You Go
by octogirl
Summary: Artemis and Kaldur are under cover, working for Black Manta. Meanwhile, Wally has fallen into a deep pit of depression, dying to see Artemis again. But when he runs into some trouble with Black Manta's henchmen, things go from bad to worse. Kaldur and Artemis must prove their loyalty to Black Manta in a way that nobody saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! This story does get pretty graphic, so if you're not into that kind of thing, then this probably isn't for you. Also, I'm going to apologize now for the short chapters. I didn't mean for them to be this short, it just kind of happened. I am going to apologize for the whole thing as well. This is a romance story, but I'm horrible at writing that kind of thing. So I apologize if it's really bad. And lastly, I want to thank the two people who helped me out with ideas for this story. It is highly appreciated, so thank you! Ok, so that's enough from me. Now onto the story. Enjoy!**

Wally dropped his backpack on the ground by the front door, and plopped down on the couch. He groaned, as he ran his hands over his face. It was getting pretty late, and the one person he wanted to see more than anybody else was in the most dangerous place in the world.

Wally still hated that Artemis was posing as Tigris with Kaldur. It was bad enough that they had decided to get out of the hero thing, and were now back in. But even worse than that was she was literally in the belly of the beast. And not only that, but she was working alongside with Black Manta's sidekick! Granted that was Kaldur, (which Wally was questioning how much they could actually trust him), but it was WAY too close to Black Manta.

He slouched back even more on the couch, and groaned again. What he wouldn't give to have Artemis here with him. To be holding her in his arms right now, knowing that she was safe. To tell her how much he missed her. How much he loved her.

Wally had been so depressed the past week. A week already! But it felt like it had been years. He wasn't sleeping, was just barely pulling decent grades in school, hadn't seen the Team or League members since he fought with Dick about it. He wasn't even eating. His appetite was gone. Knowing how much danger Artemis was in left a sick feeling in his stomach 24/7. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, snapping Wally out of his depressing thoughts. He groaned once again before lazily standing up, and shuffling over to the door. Who would be here at this hour? And why? He took a deep breath and opened the door, shocked by who he saw standing there.

"What do you want?" Wally asked dryly.

"We need to talk," Dick replied.

"Unless you're gonna tell me Artemis is coming back, I don't wanna hear it." He turned around, and started walking away, throwing the door closed behind him.

Dick caught the door, and walked in. "Wally."

Wally plopped back down on the couch. "I told you, I don't wanna hear it."

Dick took a seat on the chair across from the couch, and looked at Wally. "We're worried about you."

Wally just sat there, head back, staring at the ceiling.

"You haven't been sleeping, or eating. You're practically a zombie."

"So now you're watching me?" Wally asked emotionless.

"Even if we weren't I would still know. Your eyes are bloodshot, and you look a lot skinnier. Not to mention you don't have half the energy you used to. Right now, I would be surprised if you could run faster than a normal person."

Wally glared at Dick, clearly getting irritated. "My speed is just fine. I'm just fine."

"Wally, we all know that you're not. Barry was getting concerned that you had died."

Finally Wally couldn't take it anymore. "You don't get it!" He sat up, and leaned forward. "You took my girl, and threw her into the most dangerous situation possible! The love of my life, and you sent her into suicide! And you expect me to be ok with that?!"

"Wally, calm down."

"No!" Wally exclaimed. "I may never see her again all because of your stupid plan!"

"Look, we've all talked it over and agree that you should come stay at the Cave for a while."

"Unbelievable," Wally muttered, slouching back against the couch. "Did you not just hear a word I said?"

"We know that this is hard for you, but it won't do anybody any good if you go on like this. You need to sleep, and eat, and start living again."

"I love her." Wally stared off at nothing in particular. "I can't stand the thought of something happening to her."

"You really think that something is going to happen to her? She's practically invincible. And I know you know from experience that she can put up a good fight. She'll be ok. We wouldn't have done it if we didn't think she could handle I. Plus Kaldur's with her, too."

"Don't bring him up. You know I'm not so sure we can really trust him."

"She's going to be ok. You, on the other hand, are going down hill fast. Come back to the Cave. Get some sleep. Eat. You need it. I don't want to see my best friend destroy himself."

Wally thought about it for a few moments. Dick was right. Artemis doesn't take crap from anybody. But still, if Black Manta found out...

"Fine," Wally finally said. "But don't think that I'm ok with your plan, 'cause I still don't agree with it."

"Yeah, I know." Dick was just relieved that Wally had agreed to stay at the Cave. Dick stood up, and headed for the door. "Coming?"

Wally groaned, but reluctantly stood up and followed. "Yeah."

The two started down Palo Alto's dark streets, heading for the nearest zeta tube entrance. This brought back so many memories from when they were younger. After a long day of school, one of them would go over to the other's place, and they would head to the Cave together. Of course that hadn't happened for a while, but the two still enjoyed the memories. Even Wally was enjoying it by the tiniest bit. Not that he would admit that. But it was still kind of nice.

 **So there's chapter one. I hope you all liked it! Please please please review! Reviews are great motivators to get chapters up sooner, so please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I don't really have much to say for this was, so we'll just get started. Enjoy!**

Wally and Dick finally arrived in the Cave as the robotic voice overhead announced them. Wally hadn't heard that in a while, and actually kind of liked hearing it again. Seeing this place again brought back so many memories. Including the first time he had seen Artemis. Artemis. He felt himself sing back into deep depression at the thought.

Dick noticed his friend's change, and decided to try and boost his spirits. "Remember that time we snuck into Red Tornado's room?" He asked, hoping to get Wally's mind off Artemis.

"Yeah," Wally replied solemnly.

"And the time when you missed the League and Team fighting together, but ended up saving the queen from Count Vertigo?"

"Yeah."

"And when you got so upset because you missed going to the beach with us?" They had laughed about that multiple times afterwards. Of course Wally hadn't found it so funny when it happened.

"Yeah. It was the first time I saw Artemis." His mood dampened even more. If he hadn't had good control of himself he probably would have broken down sobbing on the floor.

"Oh, right." ' _Crap!_ ' Dick thought. ' _You should've remembered that, Grayson_.' "Are you hungry?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"No," Wally replied, even more solemn.

"Well you need to eat." With that, Dick grabbed Wally by the arm, and started pulling him towards the kitchen.

Wally dragged along behind Dick. How could he think about food at a time like this? But he decided that if it would get Dick to shut up, he would do it.

They reached the kitchen, and Dick started making at least five sandwiches while Wally crashed on the couch. Once the sandwiches were finished, Dick stacked them onto a plate, and handed it to Wally before sitting down across from him.

Wally took the plate, but set it down next to him on the couch. He just stared past Dick, at nothing in particular. It was clear that he wasn't really present. His face said it all. There was only one person on his mind, and nothing was going to change that.

"Come on, Wally," Dick finally said. "You've got to eat something." Dick was seriously concerned for his friend, and didn't want to see him completely fall apart. He had expected Wally to be upset, but not be this depressed.

Wally glared at Dick, picked off a tiny corner piece of the bread, and ate it. "There. I ate something."

Dick was about to say something, when Batman's voice played through the speakers. "Mission briefing in five."

"Well," Dick started. "I guess that's my cue. Try to stay out of trouble, ok?"

Wally just went back to staring at nothing. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be at home, on the couch, with Artemis in his arms. Why did that have to be such a hard request?

Dick sighed, and walked away towards the briefing room. He wouldn't be surprised if he returned to find Wally in the same position. But he couldn't blame him. Back when he and Zatanna were together, if this happened with her he probably would have reacted very similar to Wally.

A few minutes passed before the League and Team disappeared through the zeta tubes. Wally just sat there a few moments. He was beginning to get a little bored, but wasn't sure what to do. He was also starving due to not eating anything all day. He decided to just eat one of the sandwiches, but before he knew it they were all gone. But he did feel a little bit better.

Wally stood up, and decided to just wander around. He walked through the training room which brought back sooo many memories. All the times Artemis had kicked his butt when they sparred together. He sighed, and kept walking. Eventually he made it to the briefing room, also holding a lot of memories. He continued on for a while until he just couldn't take it anymore. This was supposed to be making him feel better, but it was only making him feel worse. He decided to head back to the break room, feeling too downcast to do anything else. His shoulders were slumped, head down, and felt weak in the knees.

As he was passing the computer room, he heard a beeping noise. Curious, and having nothing better to do, he walked in to check it out. He saw a red blinking light on one of the computer screens, and took a close look at it. Wally noticed that the dot was on a map, and realized that it meant trouble. But the League and Team were gone. ' _Crap.'_

Wally's hero instincts slowly started to take over. Somebody was in trouble, and he was the only one that could do anything about it.

"Guess I'm not quite out of the hero thing yet," Wally muttered to himself before taking off for his old room.

He stopped when he saw his suit hanging up. He hadn't looked at that thing in years, but had to admit that he had missed it. Even if just a little. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Wally quickly got changed, and took off for the zeta tubes. Thankfully Dick hadn't been right and he still had his speed. Of course the sandwiches and adrenaline rush probably helped, but still. He got to the zeta tubes, and sped through. Here he was, once again, going out to save the day.

Wally arrived at the place, the docks, and stopped near the water. Of course there was no sign of anybody. But why would there be? That would just make things too easy.

He stood there, listening closely when he heard something in the water behind him. Wally spun around to see men dressed in black wet suits suddenly come up out of the water. Wait a minute...He recognized them as Black Manta's henchmen.

The men attacked immediately, putting Wally in an early defensive stance. Thankfully his moves started coming back, and his instincts started to kick in. _'Sweet,'_ Wally thought. _'I guess five years didn't completely wipe everything out.'_ He soon started to fight back instead of just defend, and the fight slowly started turning over to him.

Wally's confidence was way higher now, and he started to throw in some of his old, cocky moves and comments. But suddenly a strong arm wrapped around him from behind, and a cloth was roughly placed over his nose and mouth. He tried to break free and not breathe, but this was some fast working stuff. Within just a few moments the world started going blurry before it completely went dark.

 **So there's chapter two. Pleeeaaassseee review! I would love to know what you guys are thinking so far. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everybody! This is where things start getting interesting. So enjoy!**

"Mmm," Wally moaned.

He hadn't even opened his eyes and his head was already sore. Why? He hadn't even been hit in the head. Who cares? What he really needed to do was find out where he was.

Wally slowly peeked open one eye just to make sure that it wouldn't be in his best interest to make them think he was unconscious, before fully opening his eyes. He scanned over the area, and was surprised to see that there were no guards anywhere. He took another look around the area focusing more on what was there instead of looking for guards.

It was a smaller room with plain metal walls with a...Wait...Metal? _'_ _Oh_ _crap_ , _'_ Wally thought to himself. _'Metal walls equal submarines, and a submarine plus me chained up equals Black Manta.'_ Wally continued scanning the room, and spotted two racks hanging on the wall. Both of which were filled with knives, and whips, and other brutal looking things. _'Well I'm in for some serious hell.'_

Wally looked up at his hands that were spread apart above his head, and bound in chains that were connected to the ceiling. He tried to phase out of them, but couldn't manage to. It wasn't very surprising, though. It made sense that Black Manta would be prepared for him, so Wally didn't waste time questioning it. He was just thankful that he wasn't hanging.

Footsteps could be heard outside, but stopped right infront of the door. Wally strained his ears to hear the muffled voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The voices soon stopped, and more footsteps could be heard walking away from the door. There was a brief moment of silence before the door opened, and four of Manta's henchmen came walking in.

"Hey look, boys," one of them said. The one that Wally assumed to be the leader of the little group. "The princess finally woke up," he teased.

"Yeah," another one added with a raspy voice. "Where's that enhanced recovery of yours?" His tone made it sound more mocking than questioning.

"I think all this time off slowed him down," the tall, lengthier one of the group said, slowing his voice down at the end.

"Are we just gonna tease 'im or actually have some fun?" The last one with an intimidatingly deep voice asked.

"This is fun," Raspy Voice replied.

"Nah, we'll have some fun," Leader said with a laugh. "Just remember, boss doesn't want any major damage."

"Yet," Tall and Lanky added.

"Just a few slugs should suffice," Deep Voice said, cracking his knuckles as he walked up to Wally.

Without another word, Deep Voice's fist met Wally's face. Wally winced at the impact, but quickly covered it up. It wasn't so bad. He's had way worse before. He was just barely recovering from the blow when Deep Voice launched his fist into the speedster's stomach. Wally lost his breath momentarily, and leaned over as much as the chains would let him. He straightened himself just in time to feel a fist slam into his jaw, and receive another blow to the gut immediately after.

The three others stood on the sidelines, busting up laughing and throwing out insults as Deep Voice continued beating the crap out of the young hero. Finally, Raspy Voice couldn't take it anymore, and started walking up to them.

"Ok, m turn," he said.

Deep Voice gave Wally one last hard punch in the gut before walking over to the other two. Raspy Voice stood infront of Wally with an evil grin as he lightly pounded his fist into his palm.

"So, Baby Flash. What to do, what to do."

Anger slowly bubbled up in Wally. "It's _Kid_ Flash," he corrected through gritted teeth.

Raspy Voice just laughed. "Like that's a lot better." He threw a hard punch into Wally's jaw, causing it to throb uncontrollably.

"Huh," Wally said when it was bearable to move his jaw. "Your friend over there is a much better puncher than you."

 _'What the hell, West?'_ Wally thought. _'Are you trying to get yourself killed?'_ But he couldn't help it. His mouth had a mind of his own.

"We'll see about that," Raspy Voice said, clearly irritated. He threw another, harder punch into the speedster's gut.

Wally was bent over trying to catch his breath when he felt another smug comment coming up. "Eh, I guess that was better. But I still feel like I have a five year old trying to beat me up."

 _'Shut up, West!'_

Raspy Voice slammed his fist into the speedster's jaw, ribs, then jaw again. He kept beating the young hero until his knuckles were literally bleeding. His chest was heaving with heavy breaths as he kept delivering the merciless blows.

"Ok, that's enough," Leader said after a while.

Raspy Voice just ignored him, and continued the now brutal beating.

"I said enough." Leader yanked Raspy Voice away, and stood between him and the speedster. "Boss still wanted him in decent shape.

Raspy Voice was about to say something, but held his tongue and walked back to the other two instead.

Meanwhile, Wally was now hanging from his chains due to his legs giving out in the middle of the beating. His face was had a few blood smears across it, and he was positive that a few of his ribs were broken. Certainly bruised. He was bent over gasping for air, which only made the pain in his stomach, ribs, and chest ten times worse.

"Boss'll be here in half an hour," Leader informed after somebody had contacted him over his com. "You, my little friend..." Leader walked up to Wally. "Are in for a real treat." He gave an evil grin before turning back to the other three. "Let's go."

With that, he four henchmen left, leaving Wally alone with his pain and thoughts in the room.

 **So there's chapter three. If you're liking this so far, please review! Or if you have tips or suggestions I would love to hear them! Even if there's something you don't like that I could change to make better, let me know. Thanks guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!** **I don't really have anything to say for this one, so enjoy!**

"...We just need to keep him believing us a little bit longer," Kaldur was saying as he walked down an empty hallway with Artemis.

"I know," Artemis replied. "It's just getting harder and harder the longer we're here."

"I agree, but we must..."

"Kaldurahm, Tigris," a voice interrupted from behind.

The two spun around to face one of Black Manta's henchmen.

"Black Manta wants you in the empty cargo room," the henchman said.

"Tell him we will be there right away," Kaldur replied.

The henchman nodded, and took off. Kaldur turned back to face Artemis, who he could tell was trying to keep the concern off her face.

"It will be ok," he said. "Now let's go." He started heading for the room.

"Yeah. I just have a really bad feeling about this," Artemis mumbled as she followed Kaldur.

They arrived at the room, and almost froze in shock at what they saw when they opened the door. Guards surrounded the inside of the small room, and Black Manta was standing off to the side, but that wasn't what was shocking. Bound in chains hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room was none other than Kid Flash! Wally! He looked bruised, and already beaten. What happened?

Artemis was pretty sure that if Kaldur hadn't subtly placed a hand on her back she would've collapsed right there. Why was Wally here? And what was going on? But she didn't have to wait long before her questions were answered.

"You called for us, father?" Kaldur said, his voice and face the same as always.

"Yes, my son," Manta replied, walking up to the two. "This is one of your former teammates, correct?"

"Yes, father. That is correct."

"You know that I do not doubt your loyalty, but some of my men still do. So I have brought one of your former teammates here to be tortured, and prove that you no longer care about them."

Both Kaldur and Artemis miraculously seemed unfazed on the outside, but both of them immediately went into panic mode on the inside. Kaldur knew what had to be done, but didn't know if he would be able to standby and watch. Wally was his friend. How was he supposed to let his father do horrific things to his friend, and just stand by and do nothing?

Meanwhile, Artemis was just trying to figure out what to do. There was no way she could watch the love of her life be tortured. And there was certainly no way she would be able to cover up how it affected her. But she knew they had to keep Manta believing that they were loyal. What was she supposed to do?

"Father, I am as loyal as I can possibly be," Kaldur said. "This will be a waste of blood shed."

"Yes, I know," Black Manta replied. "However, my men still doubt. This will just be an easy test to prove your loyalty."

Kaldur glanced over at Artemis, who he could tell was struggling. Not so much from her appearance, but rather from knowing how close the two were. Artemis glanced up at him, and he gave her a small nod. He could see in her eyes that she knew this had to be done, but he could also see the pain that was already beginning to grow in them.

"Very well, father. I will do what it takes to prove my loyalty to you," Kaldur finally said.

Wally couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Kaldur seriously ok with this? And what about Artemis? She hadn't even made a sound! Had they truly betrayed the Team? No, Artemis would never do that. He knew her better than that. Or would she? She was raised by a criminal after all. But she wouldn't betray _him_ , would she? Everything that they've been through together, the love that they shared, was it all fake?

But then he realized how selfish he was being. Of course the two weren't betraying the Team. They were protecting it. In order for the plan to work, they both had to have Black Manta's full trust. Plus, going through with this would keep Artemis safer. It would make Manta be less suspicious of her. And making sure Artemis was safer was all Wally cared about. Plus, he was thankful that it was him and not somebody else.

"Good," Black Manta said before turning to the henchman that was preparing to torture the speedster. "You may begin."

 **So there's chapter four for ya. I really hope you guys are liking it so far! Please review, and let me know what you think of it! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thank you sooo much for the reviews! You definitely made my day. I am so sorry for the late update. My excuse is too lame to even admit, so I'll just promise that it won't happen again. This is where the real stuff begins, so enjoy!**

"Hey, Baby Flash," the henchman said as he walked up to Wally.

Wait a minute, _'Perfect,'_ Wally thought. _'Of course my tormentor is gonna be Raspy Voice. Why wouldn't he be?'_

"It's _Kid_ Flash," Wally corrected through gritted teeth once again.

"Whatever," Raspy Voice said, holding up a knife. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's," Wally replied sarcastically.

This made Artemis want to laugh and cry at the same time. Laugh, because she loved all of Wally's sarcastic comebacks when they weren't directed towards her. But cry, because she missed them, and feared that she was about to lose them forever.

Raspy Voice got that evil grin again as he started cutting off the top part of Wally's suit. Of course he made sure to nick the speedster here and there. Once he was finished, he put the knife away, and grabbed what appeared to be a whip. Only, this was no ordinary whip. Instead of being made out of leather, it was made out of strands of fiberglass and barbwire.

 _'No,'_ Artemis thought, eyes glued to the brutal weapon. _'Please no.'_ But somehow her outward appearance remained as cold as ice.

Kaldur was a perfect replica of his father, though his stomach felt like it had been turned in every direction possible. He was just supposed to stand there while his friend was brutalized with that?

Meanwhile, Wally was just focusing on keeping his breath even. He had to remain strong. For Artemis. He tried not to look at the whip too much, though he did want to know what would be ripping into his back. But one glance at it was enough for him. _'Never mind,'_ he thought. _'Don't really want to know anymore.'_ But he would stay strong. _'For Artemis,'_ he kept telling himself. _'For Artemis.'_

Raspy Voice found hid place behind Wally, and looked over at Black Manta. The crime lord of the sea gave a slight nod as a signal to begin. Raspy Voice grinned the biggest, evilest grin yet before bringing his arm back, and slamming the whip down on the young hero's back. The whistle of the whip through the air, and the sound of ripping flesh as it tore through the speedster's back was music to his ears. He happily continued beating Wally without a moment's pause.

Wally gasped out of surprise as the first lash ripped across his back. He had never felt anything like it before. The fiberglass stung like...words couldn't even describe it. And he could feel the barbwire literally ripping through his muscles, and tearing chunks of skin out of his back. He clenched his teeth to keep himself from screaming as the beating continued. The pain was indescribable. He never knew that it was physically possible to feel this much pain, and still be alive. After a few more lashes, Wally was positive that he could feel the barbwire scraping against his bones.

Meanwhile, Artemis was breaking down inside. She had no idea how she was staying so still on the outside. Maybe it was just the shock of all of this. Either way, she could feel herself crumbling on the inside. Seeing Wally go through this brutality was overwhelming. Why were they doing this? She knew why...but why?

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Raspy Voice stopped. The whip in his hand was stained crimson as blood dripped off the ends. The floor was also stained with the crimson liquid as it cascaded down the young speedster's torn back and shoulders.

The sight of the area looked like something out of a horror movie, but the sight of Wally was even more gruesome. He was now hanging from the chains, unable to hold himself up. His chest was barely rising in short, shallow breaths. His head hung low from not having the strength to hold it up, and attempting to hide the pain on his face. And his back...there were no words. There wasn't a single spot where his flesh hadn't been ripped. Blood covered it as if it were a canvas of horror. Pieces of skin hung off him, making the sight unbearable to look at. And the blood covered whatever other horrors that were sure to be revealed.

Black Manta looked over at his son, and was pleased to see that the look on his face had not changed. "Is this proof enough?" He asked his men.

The henchmen around the room muttered amongst the room before one spoke. "With all do respect, sir, he could just be acting. That was rather short. We think he needs to watch more."

"Father," Kaldur said quietly. "It is your decision, not theirs. He does not need to suffer more. I am as loyal as I can be, and your trust is all that is important."

"See!" One of the men called out. "He's even trying to get this pathetic hero out of it!"

"I am afraid that is not true," Manta replied, ignoring the henchman. "I want my men to trust you. It is the only way for things to work well in battle." He turned back to Raspy Voice. "You may continue."

 **Sooo what did you all think? Gruesome, I know. But I warned you guys. Review and let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Thank you for the reviews! You guys have been awesome. So here's chapter six. Enjoy!**

Two henchmen pulled a fairly large table out from next to the wall., and into the middle of the room. Meanwhile, two other henchmen unchained Wally, and moved him out of the way. Once the table was in place, another henchman dumped a bucket full of small, sharp rocks onto the table. The little stones echoed throughout the room as they scattered across the steel surface. Then one of the men plugged a cord into the side of the table.

Once everything was set up, the two men holding Wally hoisted him up onto the table. Wally had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming as the rocks' sharp edges immediately dug into his shredded back. But that wasn't all the table had. Wally felt the steel rapidly heating up, causing the rocks to heat up as well.

The men spread Wally's arms and legs out as far as they could go, and strapped him down. Wally once again had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming as his wounds were stretched farther, allowing , and his back was pressed farther against the now very hot table. His breath became heavier, and more labored which only made it hurt worse.

Artemis wasn't sure how much more she could watch. She could feel herself getting ready to burst, so she converted her despondency into anger. At least then she could make it look like her hate was towards Wally instead of the criminals surrounding her. Plus it would keep her from turning into a sobbing mess.

Kaldur kept his same monotone expression. It was killing him inside to see his friend like this, but he knew that Wally understood. At least he hoped. He was honestly shocked that his father was so cruel. Kaldur knew that Manta was evil, but this was the most brutal thing he had ever witnessed.

"Give him the serum," Black Manta ordered.

"What serum, father?" Kaldur asked as Raspy Voice grabbed a needle and filled it up with a reddish orange liquid.

"It causes hallucinations of things that have happened," Manta explained. "However, it turns those memories into your worst nightmares."

That didn't seem so horrible. Yeah, nightmares were bad, but it could be way worse. However, Kaldur had a bad feeling that this would be no ordinary nightmare.

Wally had been so consumed with pain as the sharp rocks dug deeper into his open wounds, and the table literally scorched his back, that he hadn't even noticed Raspy Voice walk up to him. That was, until the evil henchman jabbed the needle into his arm.

Suddenly everything went dark. Wally was just standing in a black abyss. There wasn't even a floor visible. He heard a commotion off to the left, and he sprinted towards it. Within moments he found himself standing in the middle of a fight. Hold on...This fight had already happened. It was with Black Manta's men. And there were Artemis and Dick fighting the goons. Wait...Artemis was fighting Kaldur! Well of course she was. Wally already knew what was going to happen. It had already happened before. Suddenly, Kaldur created his water knife. Even though Wally knew that he wasn't going to actually kill Artemis, it still flipped his stomach. But something was off. Kaldur jabbed the watery blade under Artemis's ribs, only...it actually went through. That hadn't been fake.

"No!" Wally screamed as Artemis collapsed to the ground. "Artemis!"

Wally ran over, and fell to his knees by Artemis's side, cradling her head in his arms. "Artemis, look at me. Say something."

Artemis looked up at him through barely opened eyes. "You didn't save me, Wally," she whispered. "You could've stopped him. Why didn't you? Why didn't you stop him?"

"Artemis, I'm sorry. This isn't what was supposed to happen."

"But it did, and you-you could've stopped it." Her voice drifted off at the end as her eyes finally closed.

She was gone. The love of his life, Artemis, was gone. Gone! Forever!

"No!" Wally cried. "Artemis! Don't leave me! Come back to me! Artemis!" He just kept screaming her name as he felt his heart shatter.

While in real life Wally was writhing on the table, screaming Artemis's name over and over again. Artemis wanted so badly to run over to him, and tell him that she was right there. To comfort him in whatever he was being put through. To get him out of there.

Kaldur subtly grabbed her hand, knowing that this had to be hard for her. He was amazed at how calm she was keeping herself, when he himself was ready to just grab Wally and run.

Finally Wally settled down, and came back to reality. His back was burning worse than before due to his previous thrashing on the hot, sharp edges. But nothing hurt worse than what he had just witnessed. Wally looked over at Artemis, to reassure himself that she was still alive. A huge wave of relief washed over him when he saw her.

"Now are you satisfied?" Black Manta asked his men. "My son has not so much as flinched. Is that not proof enough?"

The men spoke amongst eachother once again before one voiced their conclusion. "We think that to really prove his loyalty to you, _he_ needs to be the one to torture his former teammate."

 **Sooo thoughts, feelings? Do you think Kaldur will actually do it? Let me know, and review! Thanks guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Thanks for continuing to review! It's been really encouraging. So here goes chapter seven. As always, enjoy!**

The whole universe seemed to stop for Kaldur. They wanted him to do what?! Torture his own teammate? But poor Wally had already been through so much. He couldn't do it. He would torture himself before he would hurt Wally.

"Well, my son," Black Manta said. "You heard them."

"Father, I do not think this is a wise move," Kaldur replied. "I am not good at torturing, and I do not believe that I could stomach doing something to somebody else." He wasn't lying either. Just the thought of hurting Wally in any way made him want to throw up. But how else was he going to prove his loyalty and keep the plan going?

"Then this will be a good practice for you," Manta said. "You must learn to be ruthless, my son."

Kaldur glanced at Artemis, who gave a solemn nod. Of course Kaldur could see the sorrow and hopelessness in her eyes.

"Very well, father," Kaldur finally replied, no emotion evident in his voice or expression.

He walked over to the foot of the table as Raspy Voice backed away. He really hoped Wally would understand. _'I am sorry, my friend,'_ Kaldur thought. He took a deep breath before electrocuting Wally from the foot of the table up.

Wally clenched his teeth as the electricity coursed through his bloodied and bruised body. He writhed against his will on the scorching table, causing the sharp edged rocks to dig deeper into his shredded and burnt back. Just when he thought things couldn't become anymore painful, they do. Finally he couldn't hold it in anymore, and let out a small, muffled scream.

Kaldur stopped immediately. A little more suddenly than he meant to. He just couldn't bear the thought that _he_ had made Wally scream. Or almost scream.

"Why'd you stop?" One of the men asked.

"Father," Kaldur said. "He has had enough. Have I not proven my loyalty yet?"

"See!" The henchman interrupted. "He still cares!"

"Do you?" Black Manta questioned, also finding it a little bit odd.

"No, father," Kaldur replied, holding in a sorrowful sigh. "I do not."

"Continue then."

Kaldur's heart dropped right out of his chest. "Yes, father."

He turned back to face the speedster again. He couldn't even look at Wally. The young hero was barely breathing, and the pain was evident in his face. But somehow there was also strength left in him, and Kaldur feared that he would be the one to drain his friend of it.

Doing his best to keep the remorseful look off his face, Kaldur began electrocuting Wally again. The young speedster once again started writhing on the table against his will, letting out muffled screams every once in a while.

Kaldur went longer than he had the last time in hopes of making it as believable as possible. He didn't know how much more he could put Wally through. Finally he stopped, and looked over at Black Manta.

"Is that good enough, father?" He asked, doing his best to keep the steel out of his voice.

Manta looked out at his men. "Well?" He asked them.

The men spoke amongst eachother yet again before coming to a conclusion. "Yes, sir. We believe him now," one of them replied.

Kaldur and Artemis both tried to hide the relief that flooded over them. Wally would finally be released. Right? They had their proof now, so Wally would no longer be needed.

"Release him, then," Manta ordered. "Son, come with me."

"Yes, father," Kaldur replied. He glanced back at Wally one last time, heart feeling heavy at the sight of the smoking, torn, bloodied, and bruised speedster, before following his father out.

"I'll return him," Artemis said as two men began unstrapping Wally.

"I don't think so, sweetheart," one of the men replied. "We still don't trust _you_."

"Don't know enough about ya," another one chimed in.

"Fine," Artemis finally said before walking away. She figured she could sneak out a little bit later to go see him. Though the wait would be torture in itself, she was just happy they were done with him.

The men injected Wally with a serum that nocked him out immediately. They brought him up to the mainland, and dumped him off by the docks. Then they turned on one of his trackers, and disappeared into the ocean.

Wally was left by the docks in a crumpled heap. Blood was still pouring from his back, and puddling around his pale, shaking form. The sight was so horrifying that any normal person would look away, and run the opposite direction.

Though he was unconscious, there was still one thing on his mind and one thing only. Artemis. The absolute despair he had felt when she was killed. The sinking feeling in his gut as she faded in his arms. It felt so real. Thank goodness it wasn't, but sure felt real as hell. He just couldn't get that feeling to go away. Even in unconsciousness. What would he do without her? How would he survive? Just going a week without being with her was torture. No, a day. A minute. A single moment.

He couldn't bear the thought, so he willed his mind to stop. He just wanted to be consumed by the darkness right now, and not all these thoughts. So, somehow, he managed to make his mind just stop, and welcome the darkness. No more thoughts, questions, worries, nothing. Just complete darkness.

 **We're nearing the end, guys. Just a few chapters left. So pleeeaaassseee please please let me know what you all are thinking of it so far! I love hearing your opinions, thoughts, likes, dislikes, etc. So please review! Thanks everybody!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I don't really have a whole lot to say for this one, so we'll just get started. Enjoy!**

Wally slowly started to blink his eyes open as the sound of a soft beeping filled his ears. His vision was blurry, and he had to wait a moment for the image infront of him to stop spinning before he started looking around the room, and taking in his surroundings.

It was a small hospital room with machines and other various objects scattered across it. That's when he noticed a tall machine right next to the bed with a small tube running straight to his arm where a needle connected it to one of his veins. Not wanting to think about that too much, Wally continued looking around the room, and saw a TV hanging on the wall that was playing some kind of cartoon. There was one chair that was pushed against the wall, and another chair right next to the bed that had the Flash sitting in it, and...wait...the Flash? Barry?!

Wally stared wide eyed at his uncle's sleeping form for a moment. He was happy to see Barry there, but was also confused, and had no idea what happened, but honestly didn't care. He was just happy to be somewhere away from villains right now. He tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but grimaced as it caused his back to start burning. Barry slowly opened his eyes, but immediately snapped fully awake when he saw Wally move.

"Hey, you're awake," he said, trying to sound calm for Wally.

"Hey," Wally said, though it hurt his ribs to talk. "I was just about to say the same thing."

A small smile spread across Barry's face. At least he still had his sense of humor. "How are you feeling?"

Wally thought about it for a moment. "Honestly not as bad as I expected," he replied. "But I'm having a feeling that's because they've got me hyped up on pain meds."

"Yeah, you should be good for another couple hours with how much they gave you," Barry said with a small chuckle. But that worried look was still on his face.

"Uncle Barry, I'm fine. See? Still in one piece."

"That's not entirely true," Barry replied in a nonjoking tone. "You've barely got aback right now."

"It's that bad?" Wally felt like his back had been completely torn off, but he hadn't actually seen it. Plus he knew that things usually felt worse than they actually are.

Barry sadly nodded. "I barely recognized you when we found you."

"But I'll be healed up soon, right? I don't think they did anything that would slow that part down."

"Your blood sugar is low which will slow your healing down a little bit, but they've got you hooked up with fluids that will help that."

"I'm assuming that would be the needle in my arm?" Wally asked in a slightly joking tone, trying to lighten up the mood.

Barry just nodded. He wanted to put on a smile for Wally, but he just couldn't. Seeing his nephew like that was just...words couldn't describe it.

"What happened?" Barry asked. "All we know is that it was Black Manta."

 _'Oh crap,'_ Wally thought. _'Forgot about that part.'_

"Umm, well," he started. "You're right that it was Black Manta." He explained everything that had happened, but tweaked it just enough so that it sounded like Kaldur was truly on Manta's side. And, of course, he didn't mention Artemis.

Wally noticed that Barry was slightly vibrating out of anger in his seat while muttering things under his breath.

"But I'm ok now," Wally finished up. "Honestly."

Barry looked like he was about to say something, probably mention all the reasons why he wasn't ok, but decided against it. Wally was certainly one tough nut, and Barry wasn't about to try and make him feel worse than he already did.

"Alright. I know there are some people who are waiting to see you," Barry said. "You want me to send them in?"

"Yeah, sure," Wally replied. He didn't really want anybody to see him like this, but decided it would be nice to see some friendly faces.

Barry got up, and disappeared out of the room. A few moments later the Justice League came in, and surrounded the bed.

"Hey, Kid," Oliver said. "You gave us quite a scare there."

"Sorry," Wally replied, unable to help but give them all a small smile. "I'll try to work on that."

"Well, at least you've still got your sense of humor."

"How are you doing?" Diana asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Pretty good. I honestly don't feel anything thanks to the pain meds," Wally replied.

"Well, we just wanted to see how you were doing," Bruce said, his voice deep and stoic as always. "But I know that the others want to see you as well, and we need to get going."

"Ok." Wally knew that Bruce could come off cold sometimes, but he knew that the bat cared.

The Justice League said their good byes, and disappeared out of the room. Soon after, M'Gann, Conner, and Dick walked in.

"Oh Wally," M'Gann said as she quickly walked over and stood next to him. "I'm so sorry this happened. How are you feeling?"

 _'How many times am I going to have to answer that question?'_ Wally thought. "Ok," he replied. "Hyped up on pain meds right now, so I don't really feel anything."

"What happened? Why did they do this to you?" She was about to keep going when Dick interrupted.

"Slow down, M'Gann," Dick said. "He just woke up."

"Right. Sorry."

"Don't worry," Wally said with a small laugh. "I'm fine."

"The Team wanted us to give you this." M'Gann handed Wally a get well card that was hand made, and had everybody's signature on it.

"Thanks," Wally said, smiling at the small notes and signatures. He was surprised that they would all take the time to do this, seeing as he hadn't been part of the Team for the past five years.

"Do you mind if Wally and I have a few minutes?" Dick asked after a little bit.

"Yeah, sure," M'Gann replied. "We'll see you later."

With that, M'Gann and Conner walked out while Dick took a seat in the chair next to the bed.

 **Ok, so that one was definitely not my best. And I would like to personally apologize for Batman. I know that he has more of a heart than I gave him in this, so I am very sorry about that. I hope you guys still enjoyed it a little bit, and I promise that the next chapters will be better. Please keep the reviews coming! I always love to hear what you guys think. Thanks everybody!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! This chapter is pretty short, but hopefully you all still like it. So enjoy!**

"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble," Dick said once 'Gann and Conner had left.

"No," Wally replied. "You told me to _try_ to stay out of trouble."

Dick shook his head as the two started laughing a little bit. "So honestly, how are you feeling?"

"Right now, ok," Wally answered. "It's just if I move. It was hard, though, not being able to tell Uncle Barry the whole truth."

"What do you mean?"

Wally explained everything that had happened. Only this time it was the whole truth. Dick's eyes went wide when Wally told him that Kaldur was forded to electrocute him. Dick hadn't realized how serious this had gotten.

"And he actually did it?" Dick asked, still trying to sort out what he had just heard.

"They would've been compromised if he hadn't," Wally replied.

"I thought you didn't trust him."

"I don't. At least not a hundred present. But Artemis was there too. If he hadn't, _she_ would have been compromised."

"Oh, right." Dick was still trying to filter everything. He didn't think that it really would have been that hard for them to believe Kaldur was on their side. "At least they didn't make him kill you."

"Yeah, I had been worried about that. But the important thing is that Kaldur proved himself. So now, hopefully, the risk is smaller."

"And you're ok," Dick added. "That's important, too."

Wally slightly nodded, and laid his head back against the pillow, letting out a small sigh. The memories of Artemis's death started flooding his mind again. The ones where she actually died. His breathing started picking up slightly as it played over and over in his mind. It still felt so real.

"Hey, what's up?" Dick asked, noticing the change in his friend.

"Nothing," Wally replied, trying to push the memories away.

"Wally, you know that I know better than that. What is it?"

Wall closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "The serum they gave me. I don't know what it was, or what exactly it did. All I remember is being injected with it, then standing in a black abyss. I heard some kind of commotion, so I ran to it. You were there fighting Manta's henchmen, and Artemis was fighting Kaldur. It was the night Kaldur was supposed to fake kill Artemis. So I just stood there, knowing what was gonna happen. Only, That's not what happened. He killed her. For real killed her." Wally was choking on his words by this point. "And all I did was stand by, and watch. I could've saved her, but I didn't. She was gone. Dick, she died in my arms. All because I didn't save her." He couldn't keep going. Every word felt like a knife being stabbed into his heart.

"Wally," Dick said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It wasn't real. Artemis is still alive."

"But it felt so real. It still does. And what if it becomes real? What if Black Manta finds out, and kills her? I could've stopped her from going. But I didn't, and now she's in the most dangerous place in the world."

"You're overthinking this, Wally. Like I said before, if I didn't think she could take it, I wouldn't have sent her."

"I know," Wally sighed. "I know that I shouldn't doubt her. It's just, I wanna be there protecting her."

"I know you do, but you already did. By letting them torture you, it gained them more trust, which decreased the risk."

Wally just sighed again. All he wanted was for things to go back to the way they were. To be curled up on the couch with Artemis in his arms. To whisper loving things to her, and tell her how beautiful she was. But no. Instead they were separated. He in a freaking hospital, and Artemis in the most dangerous place in the world.

"Look, I've got to go," Dick finally said, standing up. "She'll be ok. I promise. Just try to get some rest, ok."

Wally nodded, and looked up at his friend. "Thanks, Dick."

Dick gave Wally a smile before disappearing out of the room. Wally leaned his head back, and sighed. His mind was filled with a tornado of thoughts, but one dominated over them all. Artemis.

 **One more chapter to go, then we're done. Please please please review, and let me know what you're thinking so far! Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! We have finally reached the end of our story. I really hope you all have liked it. So here's the last chapter. Enjoy!**

That night Wally couldn't sleep. The nurses had tried giving him medication to help, but the effect didn't last more than an hour. But he was still restless even when it was working. His sleep was full of nightmares, and tossing and turning, so he woke up feeling worse.

Wally was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard something. He felt a slight breeze blow by, and looked over at the window to see a shadowy figure crawling through. He prepped himself for anything, though he knew he was in no shape to fight. But still, being prepared was better than not. However, what he saw was not at all what he had expected.

The shadowy figure closed the window before turning around, and taking off their mask. If Wally hadn't been laying down already, he probably would've passed out. He couldn't even talk. He was just staring dumbfounded at the figure.

"Are you just gonna stare at me with that dumb look?" The figure asked, taking off their mask.

"What...How..." Wally stammered. "Artemis?"

Artemis smiled, and took a seat next to the bed. "Are you really that surprised?"

"How did you get out? Does Black Manta know? What about the League? What if-"

But Artemis interrupted before he could continue. "Don't worry about that. Kaldur's taking care of Manta, and Nightwing's got the League and Team." She took Wally's hand in hers as her face suddenly became filled with concern. "Wally, I am so sorry."

"Hey." Wally gave her hand a small squeeze. "It wasn't your fault, so don't you dare apologize."

"But I just stood there."

"Artemis." Wally' voice was soft and calm. "You're what made it bearable."

Artemis's eyes were already getting watery as she looked at Wally. "I was so scared they were going to kill you."

"But they didn't. Look, everything worked out. You two gained their trust, and that's what is important."

"It wasn't supposed to be at your cost, though." A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Anything for you, babe," Wally said lovingly, gently wiping her tear away before cupping her cheek with his hand.

Artemis placed her hand over his, and looked into his eyes. She didn't know how to respond. What to say. How was he taking this so calmly? How was he not mad at her? Did he really understand?

"I've missed you, babe," Wally said after a while.

"I've missed you, too," Artemis replied with a small, sad smile. "I can't wait for this all to be over."

"Neither can I. We have some late night couch cuddling to catch up on."

Artemis let out a small laugh, though her eyes were still full of tears.

"There's that laugh I've missed."

The two sat there talking for hours. They both missed eachother so much, and couldn't wait for this all to be over. For life to go back to the way it was.

"Kaldur wanted me to tell you that he can't express how sorry he is," Artemis said after a few moments of silence. "Doing that to you was the hardest thing he's ever done."

"Tell him not to worry about it," Wally replied. "It really wasn't that bad." Total lie. It hurt like hell. Actually worse than that.

"You don't have to lie to us, Wally. He knows how bad it was."

"Well it wasn't anything I couldn't handle," he said with a cocky grin, winning another small laugh from Artemis.

"I will tell him."

After a few more moments, Artemis glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already 1:00 am. She sighed, sad that their time had to come to an end already.

"I've gotta go," Artemis finally said.

"Already?" Wally complained. But it's only..." He glanced up at the clock. "Oh."

Artemis stood up, but Wally didn't let go of her hand. He didn't want to let her go. Not now, not ever. He couldn't let her go back there. But he knew he had to. Artemis smiled, leaned down, and kissed him. Why was it so hard to say goodbye? She knew what she had to do. She just wasn't ready. Hell, she would never be ready.

"I have to go," Artemis said, breaking the kiss.

"Not yet," Wally replied, puling her back in, and kissing her again.

They stayed there for a few moments before Artemis got up the strength to pull away. "I'll see you later, ok?"

Wally gave her a pouty look. "Better not be too much later."

"Don't worry," she said as she started walking towards the window. "This will al be over before you know it." Of course she knew that wasn't true, but she just wanted Wally to focus on recovering.

The next few weeks were hell for Wally. The only thing that was making it bearable were his sleepless nights gave him an excuse to sleep the days away, and not talk to anybody. Both the League and the Team came to visit, which he liked them and all, and appreciated their company, but there was one person he wanted to see more than anybody.

After a few weeks, Wally fully recovered thanks to his enhanced healing. Of course, he had some impressive scars for souvenirs. Not that he really wanted any from this experience, but what could he do about it? He stayed at the Cave, due to Dick's constant objections to him going back to his apartment.

Wally put on a smile, and pretended that everything was fine, during the day. But at night he would lie awake, thinking about the one person he cared so much about. He wouldn't be able to be happy again until she was back in his arms, the way it's supposed to be. But he kept himself going with the hope that when this is all over, they would be together again.

 **And that would be the end of our story. Sooo, what did you all think? I would love to hear all of your opinions. Feedback is always so helpful. So please review! Thanks everybody! You all** **have been awesome!**


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